Review: Red

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Red.
My plan to kick of the Summer holidays was to visit London and visit the West End. After researching what was playing in London this week, I took the decision to go and see John Logan's Tony Award winning play 'Red', starring Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch.

Red follows real-life artist Mark Rothko, under the watchful gaze of his young assistant and the threatening presence of a new generation of artists. In Red, Rothko must take on the greatest challenge of his career as an artist to date: to create definitive work for an extraordinary setting. The story that Red tells was not necessarily my cup of tea, which may have been due to the fact that I am not an art buff, but there can be no denying that Logan's writing is exceptionally clever. Red provides some interesting, and rather unique, viewpoints on art, people and simply life in general. The two characters, the artist and his assistant, go head to head on several issues, demonstrating opposing views. Mark Rothko takes an extremely cynical view upon life, stating that 'one day black will swallow red, whilst young apprentice Ken appears to be somewhat more optimistic about what the future may hold. The dialogue is exceedingly well-written and it certainly gives the audience a lot to consider once they leave the theatre.

Reprising the role of Mark Rothko after performing it to great acclaim at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009 and on Broadway in 2010, is Alfred Molina. In this role, Molina has created and outstanding characterisation; he presents Rothko as deeply flawed and troubled, and despite the fact that the character could be seen as being unlikable, the humanity that Molina provides in the role makes it rather difficult not to feel a touch of sympathy towards Rothko. It is an utterly captivating performance, and it was thrilling to watch. As his devoted young apprentice Ken, Alfred Enoch also gives a very interesting characterisation. He portrays the character as being both vulnerable and somewhat innocent, which contrasts nicely with Rothko's aggressive nature. Roughly half-way through the play, Ken does a monologue telling his employer of the day his parents were horrifically murdered by a burglar. This monologue was delivered beautifully by Enoch, and it was truly heart-wrenching.

I was particularly impressed with the set design, which has been created by Christopher Oram. The set depicts the art studio, where the walls are covered with Rothko's paintings, each filled with an endless amount of red. I felt that the design perfectly enraptured exactly what a 1950s New York art studio would have looked like, which helped to emphasise how life-like this play actually was.

The featured star of Red is, drum roll please... ALFRED MOLINA!

I went back and forth with this choice, as both Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch are equally talented, and therefore equally deserving. Eventually, I chose Alfred Molina for featured star. Molina's performance is gripping; throughout the hour and a half of the play the audience simply cannot take their eyes off of him. The characterisation and persona he has created for this role is excellent, and it is clear that a lot of thought has gone into it.

Now for my final verdict on Red. I give Red...

The story that Red tells is not one that left a large effect on me which, as I mentioned earlier, could be due to the fact that I am not an art buff. Having said that, Molina and Enoch provide two outstanding performances, which are worth the ticket price alone.

Think it should have gotten a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer